A Little Bit Stronger
by BubblegumPenguins
Summary: Mitchie learns how to move on from Shane after they have broken up for the last time.


**Hey there everyone! So early this morning between the hours of 2am and 4am CST, I was up writing this little oneshot that I was inspired to write while I was just casually listening to the song "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans. If you haven't heard it, go to YouTube and check it out! As always, I don't own Camp Rock and I don't own "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans. Enjoy!**

* * *

I opened my eyes to the sound of an annoying beeping sound. I glanced at my clock. 9:16. I was late...again. I threw my blankets off of me as fast as I could. I sat up in my bed and looked around my apartment. It seemed so empty ever since he moved out a week ago. Did he really have that much stuff at my place? I looked over to my dresser. There it was. The last photo of us. I felt the tears quickly well up in my eyes. I tried blinking them away, but I couldn't keep them from falling. I bit my lip as a sob threatened to rip through me. Was he feeling this shitty too? How could he leave me after everything we've been through? Didn't he love me anymore?

_No, you stupid girl! That's why he left! He fell out of love with you. It happens all the time. Just be happy you didn't say "I Do" to the man. That would have made everything even more messy. This was quick and clean. It's all over. No prolonging the inevitable. _

I heard my cell phone begin ringing. I grabbed it and looked at the caller ID. It was him. I slid the answer button and brought the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked, trying to sound as awake and chipper as possible.

"Hey Mitchie. I, uhh...you're kind of late," he said.

"I know, I woke up a little late. I'm walking out the door and I'll be there as soon as I can," I lied.

"Alright, just hurry," he said before he hung up without saying goodbye. That was something that always irritated me about him. Didn't he know how to say goodbye? I sighed and stood up from my place on my bed. I walked into my bathroom and quickly began washing my face and brushing my teeth. I walked back into my bedroom with my tooth brush hanging out of my mouth. I opened my half empty closet. Did he really have that many clothes?

I shook my head and opted on a black dress that stopped at my knees and a white dress shirt. It might have been his at one point. Well, he left it. I laid them out on my bed and walked back to my bathroom where I finished brushing my teeth. I quickly did my makeup; just a bit of eyeliner and mascara, both waterproof, of course. I was just recording today. No need to put a lot of effort into my look, not that I had time for effort anyways. I pulled my hair up into a sloppy ponytail and walked back to my bedroom.

I quickly threw on my outfit and slid on a pair of my heeled boots. I grabbed my keys and purse and headed for the door. The mirror caught my eye as I was half way to the door. I looked into it and plastered the most realistic smile I could muster onto my face. I sighed and dropped the smile. It looked as fake as it was. Note to self: Practice Fake Smiling.

* * *

I climbed into the car after the long day of singing. Shane and Nate had both been there. Jason had been off doing who knows what. But since Brown was my manager, and Shane and Nate had gotten me into this life, they were all obligated to help me. Brown constantly told me that I just had to say the word, and he would cut the business ties between me and Connect 3. I didn't need them anymore. I could stand on my own. It was more for the fans at this point. I didn't want them to feel like they had to choose between us. Team Shane or Team Mitchie.

I turned on the car and the radio came on. It was my latest single. It was written about, you guessed it, Shane. I listened to the song play for about a minute. I finally changed it over to a talk show. No chance of music reminding me of him. He was the last thing I wanted to be reminded of right now. I realized I was crying again. I pulled off to the side of the road and cried my heart out. I silently prayed that nobody would see me and snap a picture of me crying my eyes out for tomorrow's tabloids. I could see the headlines: MITCHIE TORRES HAS A MELTDOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY!

I sighed and I resumed driving. I caught my breath as more tears fell. I wiped them away and shook my head of thoughts of him. I needed to learn to not cry when I thought of him. I couldn't live my whole life with my mood depending on him. He was in my life for a period of time, and now it's all in the past. I needed to move past that. I'll be okay. I know I will.

I made it back to my apartment without having another meltdown. I climbed the staircase to my unit, sniffling back my pooling tears. If I was honest, I wanted him back. I knew that if we just sat down and talked everything out, we could make things work. He would change for me. I would change for him. We could be better for each other.

I reached the door to my apartment and pushed it open. I walked into my bedroom and laid down on my bed. I was ready to just pass out from exhaustion. I missed him so much. I felt a few more tears slip past my eyes, but I stopped as my phone began singing his ringtone. I slid the answer button and put the phone on speaker. I didn't have the energy to bring the phone to my head.

"Hello?" I asked with fake energy.

"Hey Dem, you busy? Nate and Jason are both out with people and I need some help on a song," he said.

"Shane, I was hoping to just come home and sleep. I didn't sleep well last night," I said honestly.

"Oh, that's fine Demi. I was just really hoping to get a second opinion on this song, and I know you're a great writer, so..." he trailed. He was good. I sighed in defeat. That boy had his hooks in me deep still.

"I'll be there in ten," I said.

"Thank you Demi!"

* * *

Today was the day. Final decisions on my album, and then I would cut the ties. It had been about a month since our break up, and Shane still had his hooks in me, but not as deep. I don't cry over him every time I hear his name or think about the times we shared. That's pretty good, considering I've been pretty much crying for the past few weeks nonstop. Hopefully the tears don't come back.

I climbed into my car and heard the radio begin playing a melody from my friend Carter. She was very talented. She and Nate had a brief fling, but nothing more than that. She and I were determined to do a duet together. It would be nice to sing a duet with someone who _wasn't _associated with Connect 3.

I jammed to the angry break up song that my friend had created. It reminded me of Shane, but in a better way. It a way where I was coming to fully accept the break up. Looking back, things weren't that perfect for us. We wanted different things. No shame in that. Things happen. We would not be reuniting for any romantic duets. We would not be having conjoined interviews. We would be Shane and Mitchie, not Smitchie, Hollywood's hottest "it" couple. Thinking about these things didn't bring sadness. They brought relief. It would all be over soon enough.

* * *

"What do you mean we're splitting up?" Shane asked, a little frustrated. I knew that it wasn't going to be easy breaking the ties, but it needed to be done. Everybody had been advising me of this when the news broke that Shane and I had called it quits.

"Guys, you have all been there for my two years in Hollywood. But now it's time for me to try to stand on my own two feet. I can't have you guys protecting me forever," I said softly.

"And that translates into: It's just weird working with your ex," Shane said. He sounded a bit bitter.

"Shane, you were the one who broke up with me, not the other way around. You had to have seen this coming," I said. The guys shrugged.

"I'm not asking for all the personal ties to be cut. I need some time to get over the break up, yes, but overall, I need to find my own way. I need to pave my own path from now on," I said gently. Shane crossed his arms, clearly angry at my decision. I couldn't let it get to me. This was for the best. I smiled and gave each of them one last hug, and with that, I walked away. I pushed the door open and I could feel my heart break slightly from the fact that it was over between us all, but I smiled brighter than I had in the past month. I knew that this was the last step to closure.

"Mitchie! Hey Mitchie!" I heard a voice call. I stopped and turned around. Nate was running after me.

"What's up Nate?" I asked.

"Look Mitchie, if you ever need me, whether it's for business or personal stuff, I'm just a phone call away," Nate said. I smiled at the gesture.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Nate," I said before giving him a small wave and resuming walking. This was it. I was on my way. I was a little bit stronger.

* * *

**So there it is! I hope you guys liked it! Leave me a review and tell me what you guys thought! **

**Also, in a little more than a week, I will be posting my new story, Stop the World! It's the sequel to my story Speak Now, so if you haven't read that, go check that out and if you like it, leave a review and subscribe to me so you know when exactly Stop the World gets posted! **

**Alright, thank you all again! **

**-Tianna **


End file.
